Linked with Red Bull and Audi, Carlos Sainz says he has time before making on a decision on his future, insisting that he has plenty of options.
While a number of drivers claim to have had inside knowledge of Lewis Hamilton's shock switch to Ferrari, Sainz wasn't one of them.
"Obviously it was a bit of a surprise, like everyone in the Formula 1 world with the news," he told members of the media at today's launch. "I think everyone was surprised in a way with what happened.
"From my side, you can obviously understand that I got to know the news a bit earlier than anyone else," he continued, "but it's true then I said some weeks to reflect, some weeks to prepare, and some weeks to also get ready for the car launch, for the first race of the season, so it gives you a bit of time to digest it, to take your own conclusions, and to focus on the 2024 season that is ahead.
"But the fact that it was a bit of a surprise to the whole Formula 1 world is no news, and it was obviously also for me," he added.
Asked about the future, having been strongly linked with Audi, he said: "My next team I don't know yet, and I have a bit of time now to decide where that will happen. There's plenty of options out there and it's time to take an important decision in the next few months."
With Audi not entering F1 until 2026, it is unclear whether the Spaniard would want to head to Sauber/Stake a year early, nonetheless it will be a pivotal moment in his career bearing in mind the rule overhaul.
"As much as I said I wanted to get my future sorted before the first race, now the scenario has changed quite a bit as you can imagine," he admitted. "It is going to be probably a longer process ahead of me.
"Probably my most important three or four years of my career," he continued, "where I want to make sure I'm in the right place at the right time. I want to make sure I pick the right next destination for me so I want to take my time to think about it, to listen to all the options, have a look at all the options. Then I can just feel calm that when I take the decision I have given myself enough time with enough information.
"Having said that, it is impossible to separate one thing from the other. I have a good management team that also will take care of that so my focus always will be Bahrain this year and I'm going to start the year as strong as I can, putting all my effort into being quick straight from the go. The other thing will sort itself out as time goes by.
"I hope it's not my last chance to go for a title," he said of his final season with Ferrari, "and obviously with so many options open for 2025 in the market, I will also look for the most interesting ones in that sense.
"So it's an important year for me because I'm still wearing red and I still have the target of becoming champion in Ferrari and I still have one more chance.
"But my ultimate target is to become world champion in general. Who I achieve it with, obviously ideally with Ferrari this year, but if not then there will be other opportunities and other chances hopefully in the future.
"I feel ready for whatever comes, I prepared myself better than ever this season and I just want to get started and focus on 2024."
sign in